Cynthia O. Vail

Computer-Based Reading Instruction for Young Children with Disabilities

This investigation examined the effectiveness of a computer program in teaching sight word recognition to four young children with developmental disabilities. The intervention program was developed through a formative evaluation process. It embedded a constant-time-delay procedure and involved sounds, video, text, and animations. Dependent measures were the percentage of correct responses during full and daily probe conditions. A multiple probe design across four word sets, replicated by four participants, was employed to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. Findings indicate that all children acquired the target words. They also learned incidental information (i.e., word definition) presented in an antecedent event and generalized sight word recognition across modes and materials.

Increasing Engagement of Preschoolers with Disabilities through Correspondence Training and Picture Cues.

This investigation evaluated the effects of a hierarchical intervention that consisted of picture cues and correspondence training procedures to increase engagement of 4 young children with significant developmental delays during classroom free play sessions. Up to three levels of intervention were introduced with each child, with more intrusive levels being used only when less intrusive levels had failed to impact behavior. A multiple-probe design across children was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. Results of the study were mixed, with 2 children requiring less intrusive levels of intervention and 2 children requiring the entire intervention package in order to reach criterion.

Developmentally Appropriate Practice Applications for Young Children With Disabilities

The development of inclusive programs for young children with disabilities requires early childhood special educators and early childhood educators to collaborate in an effort to develop and implement effective programs that meet the needs of all children. Developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) describes the guidelines that early educators have determined to be appropriate practice in early childhood programs. In this paper, appropriate practices in early childhood education (ECE) and early childhood special education (ECSE) are examined. The four major components of DAP (curriculum, adult-child interaction, relationships between home and program, developmental evaluation) are used as the framework for analyzing the differences and similarities of recommended practice in ECE and ECSE. The paper concludes with a discussion of how important practices within ECSE fit within the framework of DAP.

Effects of Peer Coaching on the Rate of Responsive Teacher Statements during a Child-Directed Period in an Inclusive Preschool Setting.

Several barriers to preschool inclusion exist, including the lack of collaboration between early childhood educators and early childhood special educators and the lack of high quality early childhood programs. In this study a multiple probe design across participants was used to evaluate the effectiveness of peer coaching on the rate of responsive statements made by general education preschool teachers. Three Head Start teachers who served students with special needs in their inclusive classrooms participated with an early childhood special education teacher conducting peer coaching sessions. Results indicated that all Head Start teachers increased their rate of responsive statements. Given these preliminary results a discussion on whether or not peer coaching is an effective and practical model for professional development in inclusive preschools follows.

Using Antecedent Physical Activity to Increase On-Task Behavior in Young Children:

A withdrawal design was used to investigate how physical activity affects on-task behavior of young children with significant developmental delays in a special education preschool classroom. Five preschool age children with significant developmental delays engaged in either physical activity or seated center activities for 20 min prior to a 15-min teacher-directed group activity. Momentary time sampling was used to calculate the percentage of intervals the participants were on-task using 15-s intervals. Results indicated all of the participants’ on-task behavior was higher during the physical activity condition. These findings suggest physical activity may be used as a proactive behavioral intervention to improve the on-task behavior of young children with significant developmental delays during teacher-directed group activities.

The Effects of Constant Time Delay and Instructive Feedback on the Acquisition of English and Spanish Sight Words

The authors of this study evaluated the acquisition of instructive feedback information presented to four kindergarten children with mild delays taught in dyads using a constant time delay (CTD) procedure. They also assessed the learning of observational (dyadic partner) information within this instructional arrangement. A multiple probe design across word sets, replicated across the four participants, was used to evaluate the efficacy of the CTD procedure and instructive feedback on the students’ expressive English sight word identification, the corresponding Spanish translations, and other students’ target words. Results showed that all participants acquired high percentages of their targeted English sight words, as well as targeted Spanish translations taught through an instructive feedback procedure. Lower percentages of non-targeted English and Spanish words were acquired through observational learning.

Improving Preservice Teachers’ Perspectives on Family Involvement in Teaching Children With Special Needs Guest Speaker Versus Video

This study examines preservice teachers’ perspectives on family involvement in special education and effective teaching methods for delivering family-involvement content. Eighty-three preservice teachers provided data on pre- and postadministrations of a questionnaire. The effectiveness of two methods, a video and a guest speaker, in delivering curriculum concerning family involvement was compared. The results indicated that the participants perceived family involvement as relatively important as measured by the preadministration survey. The overall response mean values measured by two postadministrations increased after students were exposed to the course content on family involvement. Results also indicate that the two teaching methods equally contributed to improving preservice teacher knowledge. Implications for teacher education on the importance of family involvement are presented.

Using an iPad App to Improve Phonological Awareness Skills in Young English-Language Learners With Disabilities

This study evaluated the efficacy of using a researcher-developed iPad app that incorporated to 0-5 s constant time delay procedures to improve phonological awareness skills in young English-language learners with disabilities. A multiple probe design across three target phoneme sets and replicated with three students was used to evaluate experimental control. All students mastered their target phonemes and also learned some of the nontarget information (vocabulary) from the vocabulary models provided during instruction. Further, they generalized the skills across materials and maintained the majority of the skills after 3 weeks post-intervention. Findings are discussed with regard to using researcher-developed apps in daily instruction.

Examining Response to Intervention Using a Framework of Best Practice from Early Childhood Special Education

Response to Intervention (RTI) models are likely to be implemented in early childhood settings with greater frequency to target academic and developmental skills. With an increasing number of classrooms serving children with identified special needs, it is necessary to examine how current frameworks for RTI models meet the needs of all children in the classroom, including those with identified developmental delays and disabilities. To do this, we reviewed five comprehensive RTI models proposed for preschool classrooms according to a framework based on foundational tenets in early childhood special education practice. Two independent researchers coded articles that described RTI models for presence of the foundational tenets and associated evidence-based practices described by Odom and Wolery (2003). Several foundational tenets were contained in the majority of RTI models, whereas others were not addressed adequately. Results provide the early childhood education and early childhood special education fields direction in development and implementation of inclusive early childhood RTI models.

Effects of Isolate and Social Toys on the Social Interactions of Preschoolers in an Inclusive Head Start Classroom

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of manipulating toy sets on the social verbal interaction that occurs between preschool-age children with disabilities and their typically developing peers. A single-subject alternating-treatments design was used to evaluate the effects of manipulating social toy sets and isolate toy sets on the social interactions of young children with disabilities. The targeted children included 1 girl and 3 boys with significant developmental delay. The study took place within an inclusive Head Start preschool setting. Children included in the study were presented with opportunities to play with the different toy sets on alternating days with their typically developing peers. The results indicate that social toy sets in isolation elicit a higher amount of social interaction compared with isolate toy sets in isolation. Given these preliminary results a discussion on whether or not manipulating toy sets is an effective, efficient, and socially valid means of increasi...